Knights of the Endless Day

Kelly L. Green is co-author of The Ethical Shopper’s Guide to Canadian
Supermarket Products and associate editor of the Canadian Book Review
Annual.

Ogo is a young commoner in Robert Priest’s sometimes-medieval,
sometimes-futuristic kingdom of Olliador. His great dream is to become a
knight, and with his magical mother’s help, he creates for himself
some magic armor and weapons. When the king announces a special contest,
open to commoners, to find young knights worthy of special quests, Ogo
can hardly believe his luck. But, although he is chosen for a quest, he
is somewhat disappointed. Rather than fighting giants or battling
trolls, Ogo is to escort a baby Princess to her first birthday
celebration and to her mother.

But of course there is more. Mishaps occur and Ogo ends up on the
wrong, more dangerous path with the baby Princess. He meets his dragons,
his giant, and his troll, but now he must fight not for glory, but for
Princess Illia’s safety. The adventure’s end is a thoroughly
satisfying resolution.

Priest has created a remarkable world in Knights of the Endless Day
(based on his play of the same name), a world which, like Narnia and
Ursula K. Leguin’s Earthsea, will remain with the reader long after
the book is finished. More than a simple fantasy story, the book is
filled with symbols and references that modern children will both
comprehend and find meaningful. What child could resist the saucy Moxies
and their tricks, and who would not find Ogo’s irritating nemesis,
Fub, aptly named? Priest laces his text with both poetic nonsense and
gentle messages, but the latter are so subtly interjected into the story
that the book is free of any didacticism. A book for children to share
with the adults they love. Highly recommended.